New York Sightseeing Pass: The Most Flexible City Card

With the New York Sightseeing Pass you get access to more than 150 attractions, and it's the only one that includes four observation decks in Manhattan: the Empire State, Top of the Rock, One World, and Edge at Hudson Yards.

Another advantage is how flexible it is, since it comes in two formats: you can buy it by number of days (DAY PASS) or by number of attractions (FLEX PASS).

The Sightseeing Pass by days (day pass) is built for seeing as much as possible in a short time, perfect when your trip is short and you want to make it count.

The Sightseeing Pass by number of visits (flex pass), on the other hand, gives you several days to take your time with the specific attractions that interest you. This option is great for repeat visitors who always have something left to see 😉.

Depending on which format you choose, you can save between 40% and 70% of what you'd spend buying each ticket separately. The savings are real and concrete.

How does the Sightseeing Pass work?

The Sightseeing Pass is a digital card that's easy to buy and easy to use.

From the day you buy it, you have up to 12 months to start using it. That's why it pays to buy in advance and lock in a good price by taking advantage of one of the promotions they run throughout the year.

The pass activates when you enter the first attraction. From that moment the consecutive days start counting if you bought the day option, or the 30 days of validity if you bought an attraction package.

Where do you buy it?

You buy the card online on the official site, and once you do you'll get an email with a QR code that you can print or show straight from your phone.

When you get to each attraction, head to the ticket window with the Sightseeing Pass logo. Show your QR code and they'll hand you the ticket.

Types of Sightseeing Pass

As I mentioned, this card comes in two options:

1. Day Pass: lets you see as many attractions as you can fit in (from a list of 150!) during the number of days you buy (from 1 to 10 days), just like the New York Pass.
2. Flex Pass: you buy a set number of attractions (from 2 to 12 activities), which you can choose on the spot and visit at your own pace for up to 60 days. It works the same way as the GO City Explorer New York.

1) Sightseeing Day Pass

With the Day Pass, the more you visit, the more you save. It's that simple.

That's why it's important to plan your route in advance, prioritizing the most expensive attractions and grouping them by location so you don't waste time getting around (remember, you also get the hop-on hop-off bus for the entire validity of the pass).

Consecutive days of use

This type of Sightseeing card activates the day you first use it, no matter the hour, so start early in the morning to get the most out of it. These are calendar days, not 24-hour cycles.

For example, if you buy a 3-day pass and make your first visit on a Monday at 4 p.m., the card expires Wednesday at midnight, not Thursday at 4 p.m.

Another key point: if you buy a 2-day pass, you can't use it one day, take a day off, and pick it up again on the third. Do that and you've thrown money away. They're back-to-back days!

Day Pass prices

*Children between 3 and 12 years old

2) Sightseeing Flex Pass

This version of the Sightseeing Pass is ideal for seeing a set number of attractions with zero pressure, since from the moment you activate the card you have up to 30 days to visit them.

It works simply: you buy a package of attractions, from 2 to 12, which you can pick from the 150 activities included with the card.

You don't have to decide what to visit when you buy it. You can do that once you get to New York. Just show your pass (the QR code) at the attraction you choose and 1 ticket is automatically deducted from your package.

Flex Pass prices

*Kids ages 3 to 12

How many attractions does the Sightseeing Pass include?

This discount tourist card gets you into more than 150 attractions, including the most popular museums, walking and bus tours, cruises around New York Harbor, bike rides, zoos and botanical gardens.

You can see the full list of sights and activities included with the Sightseeing Pass on the official site.

Unlike other passes, it also includes airport transfers and restaurant discounts.

On top of that, the Sightseeing Pass has two other perks:

• Fast track entry at 20 of the most visited attractions in New York (you'll find the details in the attractions list on the official site)
• Advance reservations on the 20 most popular tours in the city (the tours that require a reservation are flagged in each tour's details on the official site)

Which tourist card is the best deal?

If you use them well, you'll see that in a huge city like New York a discount card is absolutely worth buying. There's one for every kind of trip:

• New York Pass: best for seeing as much as possible (it covers more than 100 attractions). Passes run from 1 day up to 10 days.
• Go City New York: flexibility to visit a set number of attractions over up to 60 days (there's an «all-inclusive» option too).
• CityPASS: for hitting 5 iconic sights. Ideal for trips of up to a week.
• Sightseeing Pass: it combines the best of the New York Pass and Go New York at a very competitive price.

For more detail, take a look at our comparison of the most popular tourist cards in New York.

Frequently asked questions